http://parasol.tamu.edu

Motion Planning:From Intelligent CAD to Computer

Animation to Protein Folding

Nancy M. AmatoParasol Lab,Texas A&M University

Motion Planning

start

goal obstacles

(Basic) Motion Planning:

Given a movable object and a description of the environment, find a sequence of valid configurations that moves it from the start to the goal.

The Piano Movers Problem

Motion Planning

start

goal obstacles

(Basic) Motion Planning:

Given a movable object and a description of the environment, find a sequence of valid configurations that moves it from the start to the goal.

The Alpha Puzzle

Motion Planning

start

goal obstacles

(Basic) Motion Planning:

Given a movable object and a description of the environment, find a sequence of valid configurations that moves it from the start to the goal.

Example: Swapping boxes

Objective: swap the positions of the blue and red boxes, the boxes are the ‘robot’, enclosing walls are ‘obstacles’

Hard Motion Planning Problems:Intelligent CAD Applications

Using Motion Planning to Test Design Requirements:• Accessibility for servicing/assembly tested on physical “mock ups”.• Digital testing saves time and money, is more accurate, enables more extensive testing, and is useful for training (VR or e-manuals).

Maintainability Problems: Mechanical Designs from GE

Hard Motion Planning Problems: Highly Articulated (Constrained) Systems

Box Folding Periscope Folding

Soccer Ball: 31 dofPolyhedron: 25 dof

Hard Motion Planning Problems: Highly Articulated (Constrained) Systems

Digital Actors• Closed

Chain

Paper Folding

Hard Motion Planning Problems:Group Behaviors for multiple robots

Traversing a Narrow Passage A “shepherd” herding a flock of ducks

Hard Motion Planning Problems:Group Behaviors for multiple robots

Covering

Hard Motion Planning Problems:Deformable Objects

Find a path for a deformable object that can deform to avoid collision with obstacles• deformable objects have infinite dof!

Hard Motion Planning Problems Computational Biology & Chemistry

• Drug Design - molecule docking

• Simulating Molecular Motions – study folding pathways & kinetics

Protein Folding

RNA Folding

More Applications & Movies

http://parasol.tamu.edu/groups/amatogroup/

Credits: My students: Burchan Bayazit (Asst prof, WUSTL, Guang Song (postdoc with Jernigan at Iowa State),Jyh-Ming Lien, Shawna Thomas, Marco Morales,

Xinyu Tang, Dawen Xie, Roger Pearce, Sam Rodriguez

&Ken Dill (UCSF) and Marty Scholtz (Texas A&M)